English Explanatory Dictionary

prefecture

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The office or position of a prefect.
  2. The jurisdiction of a prefect; the region administered by a prefect, especially as a translation of certain French, Chinese, and Japanese administrative divisions.

Pronunciation

/ˈpɹiːfɛkt͡ʃə/ /ˈpɹiːfɛktjʊə/ /ˈpɹiˌfɛkt͡ʃəɹ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sumxr-prefecture.wav /ˈpɹɛfɛkt͡ʃəɹ/

Word forms

prefecture prefectures præfecture

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French préfecture, from Latin praefectūra. Equivalent to prefect + -ure. As an East Asian administrative division, a calque of Chinese 府 (fǔ) and 郡 (jùn), also used to describe 縣 /县 (xian, “county”) and 州 (zhou, “province”) in some eras.

Synonyms

jun fu chun foo commandery

Related words

prefect

Derived words

autonomous prefecture prefectural prefecture-level city prefecture-level municipality prefecturewide subprefecture sub-prefecture
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